Afternoon all.
Today I am at Blair Athol. It's a coal mine (open cast) in the Central Highlands of Queensland. The reception sucks as far as the computer goes, but the people are warm (its 26C) and friendly (one asked me for a date tonight) and black (the air is full of coal dust).

Can some one tell me why IT would set up the offices in these minesites with lots of data points around the place. Lots of them. However only one works. It's a real pain, so after I finish here tonight, I will go into town (2 streets, 4 pubs and a church and post office mostly - oh and the bakery is good and see if I can get a hub to set up all the computers (if there is a computer store). Then we might get to train more than one at a time.

Anyway, I spoke to Chris from Japan last night. She is fine - it's her birthday soon. But Skype cut us off several times and I decided we had had enough. I will try

Hi ladies -

I've got to get 5 or 6 documents ready for a meeting this afternoon. :faint: Sometimes I think it takes longer to do the administrative paperwork than it does to do the actual development work! Anyway, I'm going to have to keep this short, even though I very much want to write longer personals.

It's hot up here, with temps in the mid to upper 90s and humid...bringing the heat index to over 100. I went to the gym after work and did an hour of water aerobics, which was wonderful! Happy, when we come down to your place to use your pool, I show y'all the water aerobics moves I've learned.

DH said he had a long, hot drive to Springfield, MO, but luckily the hotel's air conditioning works. He said that even though Springfield is 75 miles away from Joplin, there was still evidence of damage from the tornado that hit Joplin two weeks ago. Today he's going to a small town just outside of Joplin, and he's wondering how much of it will still be standing.

**************
Laura - I agree with the rest, host the book club this weekend and get it over with. :)

Happy - That totally sucks that the contractor is a real slime ball. Aaargh, that would make me so mad. :tantrum: Good news about your DH's pension though and the border for the bedroom. :)

Annie - Glad you survived the hot, stuffy stockroom. Stay cool, sista. As for pole dancing aerobics, I've never tried that...but I have done a cardio strip class. (It was women only, and we kept our clothes on.) It was a great workout, a lot of fun and very funny.

Ceejay - Happy's right, brown recluse spiders are worse than black widows. I learned that after I was bit by a brown recluse spider about 15 years ago. I went to the doctor because the spot on my arm where it bit me was developing a "hole". I won't go into more detail than that in case some are eating when they read this. Anyway, suffice to say that the doc put me on medicine and told me that if the tissue turned black, to go to the ER. It's all good now. It healed up, but it was quite a scare that I could lose my arm. I now just have a small scar from the bite.

Shad - I'm glad the people are nice and friendly. Did you say "yes" to the date? That place sounds like Milwaukee with twice as many pubs as streets and churches! :rofl: Good luck finding a computer store and a hub. DH runs into similar problems in the rural areas. So this time, he brought plenty of spare parts with him. I'm glad to hear that Chris is doing well.

Ellen - I hope you and the kids are staying cool in this heat.

Mel - Hope you are feeling better! :hug:

Well, gotta get back to the documents and meeting prep.

Love and big hugs,

Morning all!

Just a quick drive by for me. Kids are all home from school so we need to hit the gound running. Have to finally plough thru the girls clothes and try to catch up laundry as well. Hoping to have the house cleaned up and straightend out by friday.

Work last night was busier, so it was good and the hours flew by. unlike sat and sun, both just dragged on forever.

Have a great day ladies!

oh, forgot to say ... I let the dog out this morning and it is already hot and muggy...so much for hoping to turn the air off soon. :rofl:

Morning all.

Ellen - I went out with the dog this morning to water the veg patch and the dog was definitely waiting for me to finish so he could go back in, LOL! About 48 more hours of this, then cooler weather to come. Glad work went by more quickly yesterday - that helps tremendously.

Michelle - Yeh, I'm sure the pool felt nice last night! Sorry to hear about DMIL's fall! Hope the lump and bruises fade quickly. Safe travels to DH!!

Annie - At least the heat in the overstock area seemed to sweat out your illness! Gross as it is to get all sweaty, I think it does release your body of toxins and is good for the skin. I think a pole dancing class would be fun - anything that makes exercise more enjoyable...

Shad - Sorry the IT environments are lacking out in the field locations you're visiting and making your job just that much more difficult. Glad the people are nice. Are you going on the date? :D

Ceejay - Hope you're caught up with the paperwork - what a PITA. I have to provide input for a monthly operating report today/tomorrow, but it's gotten easier since we've been instructed not to put the minutiae in there, LOL.

Happy - :eek: spiders!!! Of any kind - so glad I don't see any of the really bad ones around here. Sorry the experience w/ the subcontractors/laborers turned out to be awful. Finding good people is soooo difficult. I guess that's why all the "Angie's List" and similar services come to be. Yay for being able to use the border!! A pool sounds so good about now...but come Thursday I think Ellen and I might not need a pool for a few days seeing as a cold front will be coming through. If the weathermen aren't wrong about that.

Mel - You feeling any better? Hope you're staying cool and stress free. :yoga: Sending my get well wishes! :getwell:

Nothing much to report. When I checked e-mail at home after work, a book club e-vite had already been received showing the host had been changed to our newest member, so I'm off the hook for now. Dinner was tacos, yum. Didn't exercise, so I'll go tonight. No e-mail has appeared re movie night tonight - yet - but I'm going to send our leader a quick e-mail telling her I'm skipping this week regardless. Trying to get back to food tracking with My Fitness Pal...

Oh, did I report that our router is dead again? Bf is researching new ones. Having the ability to get Netflix streaming video through our blueray/dvd player, it will be nice to have a newer technology/faster router.

TTFN!!

Shad
The computer here at work kept going off also. Not sure what was going on. Did you go on the date?


Michelle
Ugh on those last minute details for the reports. Glad the dh got to Springfield okay. Did he have to detour any where on 65 highway? They are alway's working on that highway. I did end up on Campbell and couldn't find my way out because of a detour. I know that Campbell runs into Interstate 44 but didn't know how far down I would have to travel. Should have stopped in Bass Pro but instead went to to a church parking lot and called my sis. She was in town a couple of blocks away at the college, MSU. She came and picked me up did her errands. I started to go back to National street where my nephew lives.

Laura
The taco's sounds good. You can alway's exercise tonight. I still haven't been in a mood to do anything healthy. I've been eating better but not sure how long that will last. I am caught up on May's paper work. Yipee.

Ellen
It's hot here too. These dog's are smart in wanting to stay inside.

Nothing to report. We may have some pop up thunder storms this afternoon. I went out on the clairifier again today and found two more bird eggs. The momma bird didn't have time to make a full nest but she does have a few springs of grass. I hope she can build the nest up some more. I'm not telling anyone this time.

Afternoon Everyone/Evening/Morning Everyone....

Miss Mellie...hope you are further down the road of recovery and feeling much better by now. We miss you lovey. Get well soon!!!

Chelle...yah for you getting in an hour of water aerobics. Hope MIL is feeling better. Drats on the reports and gunk.

SHADDIE....Oh a date...do share!! Takes the heat off of me. lol

Ceejay...spiders don't bother me, I figure I am bigger than they are and I can step on them. haha

Happy...you are just sh*ttin and gettin it around that house...good for you sista.

Ellen..hope you get all your closets cleaned out and you and the kiddos stay cool while doing it.

Laura...sometimes when we procrastinate about things it turns out well...i.e. the book club. What a relief. Goodluck with the router.

Not much to report here either..hot and humid with storms coming in the latter part of each day, particularly the weekend. David is coming over tonight for dinner. I made my famous pizza and breadsticks last night and they are in the frige ready to pop in the oven. Going to through together a salad and also bake a Better Than S*x Cake for dessert when I get home. CVS tomorrow night, Sissy is cutting/coloring my hair Thursday nite then CVS again on Friday nite. This week is pretty much shot and trying to figure out when I can work grass cutting in the schedule. Dusted, mopped and vacuumed last night.

Best post this and get busy....dang gone Michigan bosses will be here tomorrow and Thursday. Rats.

Have a marvelous night/morning.

Love and hugs,

Howdy peeps,

Internet is realllllly slow here at work. I think it's a subversive plot to get us to work - but it's LUNCH TIME, we're allowed a break! ;)

I just finished some store bought seafood salad (with the fake crab stuff like you get at Subway) on a mini croissant with some grape tomatoes. Yum yum. Usually I am finding that while the deli salads look good and tempting in the store, in actuality most of them are a waste of calories once you get them home. I made some homemade potato salad this weekend because we haven't had it in about a year and DH was asking for it. We had the last of it with leftover burgers the night before and it gave me horrid acid reflux. Funny how your body reacts to stuff when you haven't eaten it in a long time. Sometimes mayo bothers me really bad and other times it doesn't. Haven't figured that one out.

Last night I went out in the yard around 9pm to feed Mr Feral. I went back out to pick up the dishes after he left and there was a small orangy spider very busy building a web between the lawn chair and the top of the patio umbrella. I was fascinated watching him for about 10 minutes. Talk about focus - he / it ran the parallel strands and was going in a circle now to make the inner web. We sometimes get some spiders making elaborate webs on summer nights and by morning the webs are all gone. :dunno: So after I watched this spider, I decided to water my herb garden which are plants still in pots on the patio table. I turned to my left to get the hose and as I turned back to go turn on the water, I walked smack dab into the spider web :eek: :yikes: :nono: OMG - I started slapping myself silly - I actually thought at one point about ripping my shirt off - I was so afraid the spider was on me. :eek: :eek: :eek: Sure don't take much to get me distracted :lol: I am happy to report that for both the spider and me that while I took down some of his web, the spider made it through the ordeal. :spid: Just curled in a tight ball until I was a safe distance away, shrugged it off and went back to repairing the damage. This was a common garden spider, not one of those black or brown dangerous ones.

DH is working so hard in the house - poor guy - his back is really killing him, I told him he has to take it a bit easier as we can't have him out for a week at a time AND he has to be in good enough shape to drive us to the new house in a few weeks when we go on vacation.

I didn't get much done last night - we sat and talked for a while when I got home, then we had to run to the store which made supper really late even tho we ate deli stuff for convienence. Wasn't much time left after that, I cleaned up the kitchen, put away some laundry, fed the cats, played with the spider and it was time for bed. Tonight I have about 2 hours of work when I get home to finish cleaning upstairs and all will be ready for Mom on Thursday.

Laura - good luck with the new router. I think they have planned obsolence - if the technology isn't supported they find a way to make it break so you have to buy a new one :lol: Did you save me a taco? Sounds good. I have such a taste for Mexican food lately.

Ok, I am officially jealous of Ellen, Laura and Michelle if it's going to get a cool break up your way :mad: ;)

Michelle- yes, I agree with you about the paperwork taking longer than the work, particularly when you're implementing reports and changes as you do. But you know how it goes, relax and standards and someone gets sloppy and screws up :lol: I'm sure DH will get an eyeful down in MO - really sad how devistating a tornado or flood can be. I hope he is able to get what he needs to do his job. Good thing he thought to bring some supplies with him - I remember doing that too - back when you could bring 2 suitcases when you travelled and no one penalized you for it :yes: OMG on the spider! I am really afraid of the brown recluses because of that very thing. I'm super careful going through boxes that have been sitting in the garage.

Shad - you make me think of an old song - "Working in a coal mine, going down, down, down... " Boy talk about primitive. And I would be really concerned about breathing all that coal dust. I hope you don't have to be there that long. Glad to hear Chris is doing ok. Isn't she in NZ instead of Japan?

Annie - the pole dancing class looks like fun. It appears to take alot of athelicism? - strength - to do that without looking like a looney tunes. Looks interesting except when they add the hooker boots or "eff-me" shoes as one of my co-workers calls them, I think it cheapens things. Just remember, if you take lessons, you will have to put one of those in your house to practice :lol: I'd try that if I wasn't afraid if irrepairable harm to this old body :lol3:

:hug: Mel

Back to work for me.

Good afternoon everyone -

I am totally dragging right now. I'm so tired. And I can't even blame it on the heat cuz the a/c is working great here at work. For the past few hours, I've been fighting to stay awake, and I slept good last night...the doggies only woke me up once to go outside. I could definitely use clothespins or toothpicks to keep the eyes propped open. :yawn:

I don't have any plans for this evening except to watch TV with DMIL.

*********************

Ellen - I hope you were able to make progress on the laundry and the girls' clothes. My dogs don't stay outside long in this heat either.

Laura - So nice that someone else is hosting the book club this week. Bummer about your router. Supposedly we can get Netflix through our Wii, but we haven't signed up for Netflix yet so we haven't tried it out.

Ceejay - DH didn't tell me which highways he took to get to Springfield, so I don't know if he was on 65 or had to be detoured off of it, or if he went on 44. Those detours can turn you all around. But as they say up here, Wisconsin has two seasons: winter and road construction! :rofl: Good for you for eating better. Keep it up! And :bravo: catching up on May's paperwork! :woohoo: I'm glad to hear that there are more bird eggs at your work...even if they aren't in a full nest. I hope the babies are able to hatch and grow up safely. :)

Annie - Enjoy your dinner date with David. You might not want to tell David the name of the cake or he'll prolly take you to the bedroom so there can be a true comparison. Unless of course you want that. ;) ;) :rofl: So nice that your DD can cut/color your hair. My stylist is about 1/2 hour away, and I always postpone the haircuts/root touchups.

Happy - Your seafood salad sandwich sounds yummy! :yikes: about walking into the spider web! At least you and the good spider were okay...and the web was fixable. Sorry to hear that your DH's back is bothering him. If he uses liniment, I highly recommend J.R. Watkin's Liniment. It has Camphor, Capsicum and Spruce. It smells to high heaven...and you can definitely "feel" it...but it helps me A LOT. Also, my PT reminds me that I need to stretch before and after exerting myself. I hope you are able to get the house cleaning done tonight. :crossed: Don't be too jealous of us Northerners about the cool break....remember we were up to our elbows in snow just a few months ago. There's a gym not too far away that has "exotic" aerobic classes...where you wear those shoes/boots and feather boas and lingerie. I haven't been, but my friends keep inviting me. :rofl: :bellydance:

Well, time to get ready for a meeting to discuss all the documentation I created this morning. I hope it lets out early. :crossed:

Stay cool Worldly sistas!

Lots of love to all,

Happy Wednesday, which despite my schedule telling me so, it is not a day off. I'm back at Blair Athol threatening the men with my cattle prod.

Have a new mail from Jennifer

joy
mom says hello and hopes your job is doing ok.
she said you might be traveling this week.

mom is doing ok and gets up a few times each day.
she has been resting and sleeping a lot.
still on liquids, baby food, farina and water.

the pain is not as bad but not gone yet.
the doctor said to call him in another week.
she still has no pain pills and i don't know how she
can sleep without them. but she is sleeping good she says.

she looks better than she feels so i left the signs on her door.
NO VISITORS!!!

today is an election day without her. lol
she's not using her upper body too much like the doctor said.
i will write again if anything changes.
she sends love to everyone- jennifer

There you have it. Progress. Which is more than what is happening here at the present time. I guess the guys have headed for the hills again. I need to point out to them that the conveyor has developed a high pitched whine. Since it goes directly over my head, I am tuned for developments. I don't need 100 tons of coal to land on me thanks.

Back later hopefully with personals. I have a long drive in front of me to get back to the camp tonight. I'll be able to think then

Happy Hump/Trash Day!!!

Dinner with David was wonderful. Lots of conversation about everything...sorry Chelle, no bedroom activity...not ready for that, HOWEVER, I did find out he is a GREAT kisser!! Yummy. He is taking me to dinner this Saturday nite at Petite Chou by Patachou...it is up in the elite part of Carmel, Indiana (snobs), but very pretty area at Clay Terrace Shops. Google it, very nice area, lot of the roads are bricked.

Happy...isn't it fasinating to watch a spider make his web. When the kids were little we used to just sit and watch them weave as there was a lot of webbing going on when we lived in the out in the sticks, especially on the lawn chairs. Then DS would get weary of watching and smack the heck out of them. Which was a bit mean but so hilarious. He still is kind of like that. haha

Shaddie...Thanks for the update on our MELLIE. God love her...yes, no coal on your head please...and isn't that the wrong kind of whining that machine is doing...you need wine-ing....a nice Merlot please.

CHELLE...sounds like you need a caffeine I.V. Poor thing. Maybe watch TV tonight with DMIL with your eyes closed. Take a nice honk shu!

HAPPY.part 2....I am with you on that store bought salad stuff. It seems it is more mayo mix stuff than the actual mix items (potato, pasta, meat, etc) in there than anything. Bleckie! I do not like potato salad but have been told by many that my homemade tato salad rocks. Stop on by, I will whip you up some....do you come anywhere close to Indy when you go north? I would love to meet you in person.

Better get this posted before the big bosses get here this morning....welcome to the two days of h*ll..

Hello's to Ellen, Laura, Ceejay and MELLIE..

Extra Hugs and Get Wells to Mellie...

Have a wonderful day....

Hi ladies -

First...I want to share something my DH posted on FB. He's working in Missouri this week, and yesterday he was working very close to Joplin, so he drove through there after work to see the damage the tornado did.

"Drove thru Joplin Missouri today, whatever you saw on the news is nothing compaired to what it looks like in person. it looks like it was nuked. The tornado went right through the middle of town and it was a mile and a half wide and everything is just gone. A Home Depot and Walgreens are just foundations. Both high schools in town are destoyed. Any money you can spare please give to the Red Cross. People are in shock, I drove through a neighborhood that was reduced to mostly foundations and rubble. There was an older man in his front yard with a weedwacker trimming the grass along the sidewalk in front of the foundation where his house used to be. I think he is in shock and just trying to find some little bit of what normalcy in his life. I stopped and gave him a case of Gatorade I had in the truck. He is staying at the shelter at night and walking 4 miles back to his "home" everyday to look for any pieces of his life he can salvage. He is 87 and lost his wife last fall and now everything he has is gone. I am still choked up. But it is heartening to see the strength of the people here and how people from all over the country are coming here to help out. The Red Cross has enough supplies they just need money to provide housing for the people who lost their homes."

He called me a couple times to tell me what he saw there. He was in shock. He couldn't believe all the big, sturdy buildings that were reduced to just rubble. So many homes that are simply GONE! Absolutely heartbreaking! :cry: My prayers go out to all those affected. :angel:

Happy Wednesday ladies -

In light of my husband's post about Joplin, I'm going to start the day by acknowledging (to myself) all that I am grateful for. Dang, it really puts things in perspective, as did the quake and tsunami in Japan. In fact, as I think about all the things I was going to grumble about...being tired, tedious paperwork and meetings, back pain (which is getting better)...I'm realizing that all my "grumbles" can "turned around" into gratitudes.

Today is PT at lunch time, and I hope they don't work me out too hard as I have a 2:30 meeting. Then it's 25 minutes or so of Ball Zumba after work, and going to the pool after that. Not sure if I'll do the water aerobics or just do a "cool down" from Ball Zumba.

For the past several days, I've been feeling like I was forgetting something, and as I was driving to work today, I remembered. I have A LOT of website work that has to get done. I totally forgot about it after the trip up north. So now I need to kick it into high gear to get it done quickly. DH will be working in the yard starting to put in concrete block rings around a few trees, which will in a week or so be filled with dirt and plants.

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Shad - Bummer that you don't get a day off. I hope you can prod those guys into getting their sh*t together and getting stuff done. Thanks for the update from Jen. I'm glad the tenants aren't pestering Mel. Rest, sleep and a soft food diet are the best ways to get over what she has. Whining conveyors are even worse than whining men. I hope they address the conveyor noise quickly. Wishing you safe travels back to camp. :hug:

Annie - I'm glad you had a nice evening with David and that he's a good kisser! ;) I hope you have a nice evening on Saturday too! DMIL and I watched a movie last night, and then I went to bed really early. I was exhausted. I'm feeling a little better this morning, but I would've prefered to sleep in. (who wouldn't, right?) I hope the big bosses aren't too much of a PITA, and that the two days aren't h*ll after all. :hug:

:wave: to Happy, Ceejay, Laura and Ellen!

Get well wishes and hugs to Mellie.

Much love and hugs to all,

Annie
I have a feeling that David is a keeper. Glad things are progressing in the dating game.

Michelle
I didn't get to go to Joplin when I was in Springfield, Mo last week. My bil drove through there on his way to a pastor's luncheon in Neosho, Mo. He said about the same thing your dh said. I have contributed by the way of the church he pastor's. He's personally taking the money collected to Joplin.

Shad
So glad to hear from Mel. Thanks for keeping us posted. Sorry that you don't have a day off.

It's hot, hot, hot today. Checked on the bird eggs and they are both still there. I was kinda concerned yesterday asI fished out a dead crow from one of the filters. I did see momma bird checking on the later.
Not sure if I mentioned this or not but my bil found a perfect picture of a little boy that said first grade on the back. Personal items are being found all around the area. 40 dollars in cash was found in a cemetary.

Not going anywhere this week end. I need to rest.

Hi ladies,
Quickie for me. I wanted you to know that I just sent an order out to Mel with 2 audio books - one of George Carlin who I thought she liked and another of Bob Newhardt. I thought she could use a little humor and figured it was easier to listen to comedians than a story. I also sent a movie- Untamed Heart which is one of my favorites and I think she will enjoy it. It most probably will come in 3 separate shipments as I ordered it from half.com which is where I get most of my videos and movies. I know we wanted to do something and I was at a loss for movie and book suggestions so not wanting to delay things any further, I just perused some selections at lunch and made a decision for all of us. Shad - are you communicating with Jen on Mel's email addy? I wanted to let Mel know these were coming. Can you let her know please? I will send an email to Mel too and hopefully Jen will pick it up. Sorry I can't post personals - something is going on with our internet at work and things are realllly really slow so it took most of my lunch to select and process the order. I have to do some last minute tidying before I pick up Mom tomorrow so probably won't get back her until lunch tomorrow.

:hug: to all - Michelle - your DH's description of Joplin was heartbreaking. Those poor people... :cry:

Hello to all the Worldlies!

Ceejay - Glad the paperwork for May is done. I handed in my monthly report input this morning, so that's done for another month.

Annie - Glad to hear the date went well last night. Hope all is well even though the MI bosses are there today.

Happy - Okay, you can stop talking about spiders now!!! I just hate them and that feeling of walking into a web, be it a real spider web or a cobweb!!! :yikes: Sorry DH's back is hurting him. Definitely get him to take it easy and do some stretching, wear one of those back patches, etc. Glad you're almost ready for your mum's visit. We bought a new router last night, which bf installed immediately. Then we had a brief power outage this morning (all the AC units in town are going full blast, I'm sure of it). Grrr. The router still worked...just wondering if there was some damage that'll cause it to fry out sooner than it should and/or before the planned obsolescence hits. Bf claimed he'd just return it - uh, already opened? We'll see. I bet he's going to buy a backup power system so we don't have the damaging spikes that happen when the power blips in and out.

Shad - Thanks for the update on Mel. Good to know her recovery is coming along. I would not like to hear that sound coming out of the coal conveyor...or is that just a ploy to get the guys back for their training?? :D

Michelle - DH's e-mail to you about Joplin is just heartbreaking, especially hearing about his encounter with the elderly man. You are right, we have so very much to be greateful for!!! Need to remember that. Hope your PT is going well right now, and enjoy your Zumba and water aerobics tonight! Oh how I hate that feeling of having forgotten something - especially when it's related to work!

Hellos to Ellen and Mel!!

Nothing much to report. Hot as Hades out there. Bf and I took doggy for a short and slow walk after work yesterday. I did a BE workout in the basement - pushups, triceps, abs, back & quads. After that was the trip to the store for the router. No movie because of movie group member graduation ceremonies to attend for the kids.

Nothing going on tonight except an exercise class - need to check the schedule to see which one.

Okay, gotta go. Exported some reports to Excel and they need to be prettied up.

Okay, I posted very slowly because there were two sneaker-inners. :lol:

Ceejay - Glad those bird eggs were still there! I've also heard about the expectation that eventually stuff will be washing ashore on the West Coast that will have come all the way from Japan! So sad when you realize the enormity of these catastrophes. It's not the stuff per se, but the impact on the lives.

Happy - Great choices for the audio books! I'm sure Mel will enjoy them! :yes:

Cant stop, but I just wanted to let happy know that I am using Mel's email to talk to Jen. She reads them to Mel and replies through them.

Thanks Happy for the books and movie. I just don't have the time at the moment.

Time for Red Mountain. See you

Good Morning All Ya'll............

HAPPY..thank you so very much for being proactive and getting MELLIE's gift to her. Let us know our share please. You are awesome, thanks for taking care of this slacker.

CHELLE...I too, am reflecting on everything I am greatful for in my life. I was just talking to God about that this morning.

SHADDIE...that job is keeping you WAY too busy....first a job that has nothing for you to do then this job that gives you enough work for 2 or 3 people...maybe a happy medium would be nice!

Laura...hot as Hades here too, yuck, but a cool down is coming. Amen. Good for you on the BE work out...do a little extra to cover my heiny too, will ya?

Ceejay...yes the destruction of Joplin is awful. I keep seeing it on the news and my heart just breaks for all of them. It is hard to even know what to pray for those people....there is so much they need right now.

Ellen...keeping cool, swimming with the kidlets...they are so cute at that age in their bathing suits.

MELLIE...much love and mucho hugs to you, sweet sista.

I sent MELLIE a "Humana" care package with a lot of little whatnots in it. Should humor her just a bit. I took out all the smelly lotion type things.

Yes, Ceejay, so far, David is a keeper and so thoughtful. We actually went to a "relationship" type status, and have only kissed so far...lol. That really means a lot this day and age.

I think I need to latch into Chelle's caffeine I.V. today, last night at CVS was murder. A girl called off and it was me and the manager only. Needless to say, mostly me as she had to count drawers, etc. Actually, non-stop customers at the register....didn't even get a breather....did not restock the cigs nor get the vacuuming done. Last customer left at 10:10, we close at 10:00.

Better get this posted, just heard the first MI boss arrive a few minutes ago. Oh Yeah, can hardly wait, and meetings..well BLAH~! I am sick of single-points and enrollment issues.....

Have a marvy day.

Loves and Hugs

Happy Thursday ladies -

DH gets home today! :yay: It'll be so nice to have him home again. My PT really worked me out yesterday, and he told me that I should not do BOTH Ball Zumba and water aerobics...so I chose to do Ball Zumba, which was lots of fun. Next week, I'm going to start attending real Zumba classes and just do the moves I learned on the ball. It will work out well because my PT wants me to limit my activity to 1 or 2 classes per day. So I can do water aerobics on Mondays, Zumba on Tuesdays, PT and water aerobics on Wednesdays, Zumba and maybe strength training on Thursdays, and gardening/yard work on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. My PT's advice now is: no "real" Zumba yet; if it hurts, don't do it; and if you're tired, rest.

We had big storms last night, but I don't think we had any tornadoes (thank goodness)! Most of the area had hail (between quarter and golf ball size), thunder, lightning and winds between 70 to 100 mph.

*************************

Ceejay - I'm glad to hear that the Momma bird and the eggs are still around. :) I'm glad you're taking this weekend off to rest. You've been busy and could use some downtime.

Happy - Thank you SO much for ordering some audio books and a DVD for Mel. Those were great choices!! I'm sure she'll love them. I've never ordered from Half.com, so thanks for that tip as well! Please tell us what our share is so we can reimburse you. How much time are you taking off for your mom's visit?

Laura - Congrats on the new router, but bummer about the power outage. We had power outages yesterday morning too (either A/C related or storm related) and another power outage last night due to the storms. It's definitely a good idea to buy a backup power system. My PT is going well and I am making progress...slow progress...but progress nonetheless. Good for you for walking the dog and doing the BE workout! I hope your class was fun last night? Which class was it. I was really glad to wake up this morning to a bit of relief from the high temps and humidity.

Shad - I hope things are going well in Red Mountain. Safe travels, my friend.

Annie - I'm so happy for you that David is thoughtful and a "keeper". :) You and I are gonna have to arm wrestle for the caffeine IV today...I did not sleep well due to the storms. I was worried that I was going to fall asleep driving to work, but thankfully an open window and music cranked up loud kept me alert. Bummer that you were essentially flying solo at CVS last night. I hope you have tonight off to relax. :hug:

Time to get some work done! Talk to y'all later.

Lots of love and big hugs,

Afternoon all.

I'll try to keep this quick. Worked on re-formatting the reports a bit yesterdfay before realizing I should review them to make sure adjustments weren't needed. Duh. Of course there were. Reran one and am waiting for adjustments so I could rerun another one.

No exercise class again last night. Poor planning on my part. There is a new class on the schedule that I had never noticed - until late in the afternoon yesterday. It’s called Next Step. It appeals to me because it’s the “next step” after the beginner step class (which had grown boring for me). But it starts at 6 pm, so I’d need to make sure I catch an earlier train home for that one. The classes I could make were Body Blast, which is the weight lifting one that was just so-so for me (and not cardio) and Zumba, which was at 8 pm and too late for me. If I do go to an 8 pm class, it would probably be PIYO, a Pilates/Yoga blend - . Excuses, excuses.

Anyway, I went down to the basement again and did another one of my Body Electric workouts – worked my biceps, triceps, obliques, quads, & hamstrings. Annie - I'm barely doing enough exercise for my own heiney, so I'm afraid you're on your own... so have you decided on the pole dancing classes yet??? Jumping the gun, but I bet you're new guy D. would be in favor of that, LOL.

After all the storms we had overnight & this morning, the temp really dropped! Oh well, getting used to this crazy weather - not that I have to like it. I'll get myself to an exercise class tonight - I'll get myself all sore again and choose the Tighter Assets class.

Hope the soil dries up a bit by the weekend so I can do some more out in the yard. Otherwise, I'll limit the yardwork to weed-pulling and mulch spreading.

Hopefully I'll get to do personals tomorrow.

TTFN!

I'm exhausted. My work yesterday was a mental challenge to say the least. We've started pumping 1.9 million gallons and it's work. This is usually done in the mid part of July to late September.

Went to bed early to wake up with an allergy attack about 2 a.m this morning. Think the neighbors all decided to mow their lawns yesterday. Got up to take a Claritin and woke up around 9.30 a.m. with the door bell ringing. I wasn't dressed to go to the door. I'm very light headed today and am not doing much of nothing. My head will not let me. My bp is okay so I'm sure it's due to my allergy attack. Head and ears is still full of fluid.

I need to sit down and make out a budget. Made my first car payment Tuesday night. I realize that the taxes on the car are a one time thing but wow what a hunk of change came out of my checking account.

Happy
Thank you for sending Mel a care package.

Annie
That's sweet of you to send Mel a care package also.

Michelle
That's a good idea just to do the ball exercises for Zumba. I'd like to have some of that cool air that goes along with those big boomers--not the lightning nor the hail.

Laura
Yea for the new router. I'm trying to keep all my t.v's and computers on a power strip and even unplug them in case a storm or the electric goes off. It's been so hot the power grid's are over heating. Or a small animal sit's on a fuse.

Ellen
Stay cool. When you get through with the girl's closet's you are more than welcome to come and do mine.

Going to drive out to Huddle House to grab a cheeseburger. They make the best.

Latest news on Mel
joy
i rhink mom would like to be anywhere but here. ha ha
and she would love the places you go to. even the coal!!
she says to say safe traveling. me too!!

mom's not really able to talk right now. pain is still in the rib area front and back.
but when she talks she gets out of breath trying not to move the ribcage.
if she over does it she has pain for the rest of the night.
we spoke to the doctor and he said another 2 weeks of bedrest and limited exercise.
she is still on the same diet. we bought a lot of baby food!
the doctor also said the intestines take a long time to heal and this was a "nasty case covering a large area".
they still didn't rule out a diverticulitis complication ( i think thats what he called it) so she is following that diet too.

there was so much infection that the ultrasounds were hard to read.
but they were most worried about the appendix and healing that 100% or it has to come out.
the doctor told her she needs to be patient and take good care of herself or she will be back in the hospital.
that was enough for her to tell john they cannot contact her unless the building is on fire.
the mayor was here and he said he'd keep everyone away this whole month.
the seniors were getting nervous so i go down everyday to get the mail and tell them how she is.
they never had to be without her for so long. lol

tell annie that mom got her package today and it made her smile and laugh.
she said she is a real humana poopy chick now!!! ha ha i can't find annie's email.
mom had the hat on when john came. we all laughed.
he wanted to know where the heck she thought she was going. lol

richie's kids are here and i have to take them shopping as soon as he gets home so i better say goodbye.
we aren't going to the trailer until mom gets the ok from the doctor but she wants us to go on the weekends.
the doctor said it's ok to leave her alone but we'll see. it's not even 2 hours away but.........:(

i almost forgot this thing>>>> social security made mom answer the phone today at 9:00am
for her final interview for evalutation 2011.
mom called before she went into the hospital and after she got home so they would know where she was and cancel may's interview. because she is "late" they made her do it today!!! what is wrong with these people??

i will write and tell you when mom feels comfortable talking. it just isn't right now.
love, jennifer

Hi all,

Picked up Mom at the airport today. Her flight was delayed due to the very bad storms up Michelle's way last night and in Chicago this morning. I'm not sure how much time I will have to post as I will probably spend evenings with her talking as I work around the house. But I will peek in during the mornings.

Darn!!! I forgot that Mel enjoys the travel CDs. I probably should have sent some of those although many of us chicks right now are on the run and not able to think outside of personal demands at the moment. Next time. :crossed:

This round of CDs was my treat - you ladies have picked up on things for other rounds - this was my turn so don't worry about it.

I will try and check back in tonight. Gotta run - getting IM'd at work here - no rest for my wicked soul ;)

Shad
Thanks for keeping us updated on Mel. Sounds like she has a doozy and if it's diverticulitis I can honestly feel for her. I'm glad to see that the Mayor has gotten involved.

Happy
Spend as much time wtih mom as you need.

Spent the day asleep on the couch yesteday. I suppose I should have gone to the doctor but didn't want to drive in this heat. The claritin seems to be helping.

Happy Friday!!

TGIF, fo sho!! It's a very rainy Friday here, but even a rainy Friday is better than a Thursday and way better than a Monday! Speaking of Monday, I'm taking Monday off. I have so much website work to do this weekend that I think it will take more than 2 days to complete or even make enough of a dent that I can present a progress report to both clients. My day job workload has calmed down a bit (for now), so it's a good time to use a vacation day. June's report implementation is all complete except for getting approvals (on Tuesday), and if I get the approval, I'll be working next Friday night to get them implemented. So far for July's implementation, I have to update 13 reports...but no new ones (yet, anyway).

DH got home safe and sound yesterday afternoon...though he was pretty tired from so much driving. I saw some of the photos he took in Joplin...absolutely surreal. Huge steel girders and sheet metal from the high schools, big box stores and factories wrapped around trees like Christmas ribbon.

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Laura - Bummer that the reports needed adjustments. It's always somethin' isn't it? The Next Step class sounds good. 8 pm classes are too late for me as well, and my core/back strength just isn't ready for Pilates or PiYo. I applaud you for doing another BE workout, though! :bravo: Our soil is pretty wet up here from all the rain the past few days. But the weekend looks like it will be dry and in the upper 60s/low 70s.

Ceejay - Bummer about all the allergy attacks you're having. I'm glad you're resting. Moving around, or worse driving, when you're light headed is not a good idea. Good for you for making a budget and incorporating your new car payment.

Shad - Thanks for passing along the news about Mel. I remember all too well the pain that goes along with the intestinal infection, even though for me it was well over 20 years ago...it's a pain that is not easily forgotten. I hope she doesn't have diverticulitis or have to have her appendix out. I'm glad the Mayor is getting involved to keep the wolves and other pests at bay. Too bad he couldn't stop Social Security from harassing her. :censored: I hope your job is going better and you don't have to work all weekend. :hug:

Happy - I'm glad that your Mom got to your place fine despite the weather delays. Definitely spend as much time with your mom as you can. :hug: I'll try and find some good Travel DVDs for Mel.

Mel - Feel better soon. Sending you lots of healing hugs. :hug: :grouphug:

Big :wave: to Annie and Ellen!

Love and hugs to all,

Good Morning Chicklets....working from home today as I have a dental appt at 1:30 anyways. Got a few more spreadsheets to finish up from 'hit' items that MI bosses left behind. Not doing personals at this time gotta get done before dentist. Getting the back of my front bottom filled, it chipped off years ago and this is about the 5th time to get filled. They don't last long.

Shaddie...thanks for sharing MELLIE news. God love her.

Chelle..glad "our" DH got home safe and sound...

Ceejay...don't work so hard...

Laura...good for you for exercising anyway even tho you missed out on a class you would of enjoyed.

Happy...thanks for covering us on the MELLIE gift.

Ellen...enjoy your kidlets, they do grow up fast.

MELLIE...waving hi, missing you, and sending love hugs, but mostly healthy vibes. xoxoxo

Samantha now has a teeny tiny "baby bump". Too darn cute. 14 weeks and growing....Time is flying.

David is wonderful....We are spending Saturday together and then he is taking me to dinner at the French place for dinner for my birthday. We are having fun....kissy kissy.

Gotta get busy and finish this work mess.

Love and hugs always...

Annie - My CRS is really a PITA sometimes! Arrrgh! Dang it all...I forgot your b'day was coming up. I hope you have a terrific b'day weekend! Too bad it has to start off with a dentist appt. That's so cute about Sam's baby bump! have a wonderful time with David on Saturday! And it's good that he's treating you right...because the second he doesn't I'm coming down there to kick his arse. Cuz I loves ya, my sista.

Morning all.

Shad - Again, thanks for the update on Mel. Sure hope she doesn't need appendix surgery. !@#$% those !@#$% Social Security bleeps making her do the interview! Jerks. Are you on to the next place after the coal mine? Or is there still work to be done there? Hope you get a day off somewhere in between working and driving.

Happy - Glad your mom got here safe despite the weather delays. Enjoy your time with her! If I want to see my mom, I have to go to her. She claims a fear of flying, won't drive on expressways (she's not a good driver anyway), doesn't have Amtrak, and even if those things weren't issues, she's too frugal and distrustful to have a dogsitter. And don't ask why my brother, who lives in the same town, can't fill that role. Sigh.

Ceejay - Sorry your sinuses are giving you such problems lately. This is definitely a bad year for allergies too. I'm sort of glad for this rain because it gets the pollen out of the air for a bit. Course I'm allergic to mold too, and that'll start growing after this rain... Don't work too hard pumping that water!!

Michelle - Too bad you'll be taking a vacation day and have to work instead of play, but the $$ will be good. Good thing the day job has calmed down a bit. Glad DH got home safe after all that driving.

Annie - So nice to hear your having fun w/ D. You deserve it chica!!

Ellen - How's it going? How is it having the kids home for the summer??

Nothing much to report. Went to the Tighter Assets class for a good workout. Still tracking food w/ the iphone app. Need to keep at it. Weekends are when I fall off that routine, so I have to be diligent!! Saturday night is book club and Sunday morning is breakfast with a friend - two food-filled social occasions I have to try and not turn into a calorie disaster.

Better get back to it - forgot a report after submitting the others yesterday, and it's not working the way it should either. Grrr.

Laura - Such a bummer that your mom won't travel, and your brother won't care for her dog even if she did. Do you get to see your mom often? Good for you for doing the Tighter Assets class and tracking food. Now that I am able to do a few more workouts in the week, I'm more motivated to also eat better. Today after work, DH and I are going grocery shopping. And I've got a craving for yummy salad fixings and lots of veggies. A good craving to have, I guess. :) Good luck making healthy, low cal choices at book club and breakfast.

Morning all,
Woke up early - well I guess my sleeping pattern is all over the place at the moment. Too many different beds and places. Today I will be at Blair Athol in the Central Queensland Highlands to mop up the last of the Operator/Maintainers and will this afternoon head back to the Peak Downs area to start on yet another coal mine - Coppabella. It's raining and we are supposed to get about 4 inches of rain which means that it will be rough getting out to the mines again. Blair Athol is sealed all the way but some of the other places I have been have been badly affected by flooding early in the year and have still to get the roads fixed and resealed. Coppabella will not be any different. Just hope it doesn't soften up too much that I have to dig the car out of the mire.
After Coppabella, I go to McKay and then up to Sonoma and Townsville and then home in about 14 days time.

Happy - glad to hear that Mum has arrived and you will have some time together. Enjoy the days. Weekend coming up - get Mum to help you pack a box or two.

Annie - Hope you have a wonderful birthday dinner with D. Nice to hear about the baby bump.

Michelle - seems like the back must be improving for you to be able to do the exercise that you are doing. Good stuff.

Laura - all this exercise. You must be feeling good about your routines now. That PiYo sounds a bit like the body balance class I used to do and should try and get back to if I can find one around town.

Ceejay - hope those sinus' come right soon and you get to feel better.

Ellen - how's the school holidays going for the kids? I must be getting old, seems like they were just on holidays at Easter.

Okay - better go and report in to Mel and check for any latest info. Sounds like she is having a bit of a rough time. Bloody social security. Maybe I should give Barrack a call. Do you think he might listen?

Shad - Wishing you safe travels on the soggy roads. I hope you're able to get to your destinations safely. My back is still getting better slowly and has it's good and bad moments (this morning - bad). But I'm doing my PT exercises and getting stronger little by little. The exercise schedule I outlined are goals for the week...not sure if I'll be able to do all of it...just going to listen to my body and stop when it gets insistent. Have a great weekend. Stay safe and dry.

Shad
Hope things go well with your trip and the roads stay safe enough to travel.

Annie
Enjoy the birthday dinner with D.

Nothing to repport here. Haven't actually done anything for 2 solid days but lay around on the couch.
Can some one pm me Mel's physical address?

Happy Saturday Everyone.....no time to really post, gots lots on the agenda for today and tomorrow....xoxoxoxo

Good morning ladies,

I'm happy to see a Saturday roll around. I have to get my hair done in the late afternoon - I'm REALLY in need of a dye job - for the first time my hair has grown out enough to really see how much - and there is ALOT - of gray in my hair. That's going to kind of bust up the day. I guess I will take Mom shopping - I need to return some stuff at Kohl's that has been sitting here for a while and Mom is on the hunt for roomy, terry lined plastic shower caps :rofl: I hope in between that I can get some stuff done around the house. Tomorrow we have to go pick up DH's glasses and return my sunglasses which don't seem to be made quite correctly so that will also bust up the day. It's getting to the point that I don't want to leave the house on the weekends. Once I go out, I lose my momentum to get going again.

Ceejay - I pm'd you the address.

Annie - hope you have a wonderful dinner with David and happy early birthday :hb: is this going to be an all weekend long celebration? :cheers:

Michelle - sorry to hear the back is giving you grief again. I'm sure the jumpy weather is not helping any. Hope it gets better for you. Did you say you have a marathon of web work this weekend? Don't forget to get up once in a while and stretch!

Shad - although I'm sure Barrack would take your call, the others in government are so busy fighting one another that you would not make any headway any way. I hope you don't get too tired from travelling - 2 more weeks of this will surely wear you out.

Hi Ellen - hope no one is sick this weekend and you aren't working.

Laura - bummer on Momma not travelling, but I know how Mom's can turn something do-able into a major roadblock if that's the way they see things ;) Hope you get through your weekend food events without too much damage. You can always bring something safe to eat.

I got a note back from Jen too - Mel is resting alot. It sounds like she will have a long recovery. I will post her note later. I sure do wish now I had gotten some different CDs to send her, but that's the problem when you do things in a hurry.

Ok, Mom came down and is talking to me so I have to get off here and get something done before the day is completely shot. Have a good weekend. Talk to you later. :wave:

Hi Ladies -

I just sent y'all a PM. I tried using the email address for Mel that Shad provided, but it got rejected? Did I have a typo?

If someone could PM me the email addy again, I'd really appreciate it.

I just ordered her a couple travel DVDs, as well as a classic comedy one (with all the classic TV shows: Honeymooners, I love Lucy, etc.).

I've got to get back to the website work. I'll try and post more later.

Love and hugs,

A very hot Saturday. I'm ready for that cold front that is slowly making it way down South.
I've done absolutely nothing this week end.

Thanks for Mel's address Happy. It's the same one that I found on White Pages dot com. Enjoy spending time with Mom.

Michelle
Have you gotten a lot done on the web sight work?



I didn't have my uncle this morning but there was a spider in my kitchen sink. I drowned it. However I did let out a yelp.

Yeah, sorry gang. I thought my memory was good for that so I wrote it rather than look it up. Silly me. Should know that of all things that I have mislaid, I miss my mind the most.

Went out to Coppabella this morning and although the car made deep tracks in the mud, it didn't stick, but my boots did. Now I will have to scrub them up after tonights training session.

Annie, I miss having Mel as our social secretary reminding me of birthdays etc. but I hope yours is exciting and happy and that there are heaps more of them.

It's darn cold out here at the moment. Unseasonably cold. We normally have cool to cold mornings and then it warms up, but at the moment it is not warming up much, so I am quite happy that I can sit here in my wee room and turn the air con to heat. Although I have to admit that the office this morning was nice and warmed up for me. And the guys had real coffee waiting for me even if it was cappucino rather than my usual black. They tell me they don't know how to make black coffee.

Okay, better make the most of my time here and go sort out the travel diary and my worksheet and then get on with doing some stuff for the next manual.

Shad
You drive in the most awful road conditions which shows that you are very good driver.

Annie
I'm not sure when your birthday is. I've been depending on Mel. Happy birthday.
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The cold front finally made it through our area last night. The lights flickered at my house so I got up to see what was going on outside. The tree's were dancing and the wind was also blowing dust. The sky looked horrible. But there were no warnings of any kind. We got very little rain but we did get cooler air.

I'm back to work this morning.

good morning ladies! I'm just hanign out here at work. very sleepy this morning so I am glad that it is still kinda slow, but a bad way to start off a 12 hr day. I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee...I think I just need and IV drip that may jump start me today.

Not much going on otherwise. My brother has been watching the kiddies while I work these last few days since DH has been working 18hr days getting ready for his dept review this week. Laundry was mostly caught up...only a load or two to finish.

I'm watching my 3 younger brothers and sister for 3 days will pick them up tonight after work then bring them home on Wednesday. Mom and Dad are taking a short trip.

then I think Thursday my sister, sil and mom are going to have my sister try on my wedding dress again and see if it fits. Hopefully it does, I know my sis does not want to shell out for a brand new dress.

Well, I need to get back to work. hope everyone has a great weekend and the week goes smoothly for everyone.

Luv and Hugs!